Will India Lead the World Bank's Global Land Reform Discussions in Washington?

New Delhi, May 4 (NationPress) A prominent Indian delegation is poised to showcase its groundbreaking SVAMITVA Scheme and Gram Manchitra platform during the World Bank Land Conference 2025, scheduled from May 5 to 8 at the World Bank headquarters in Washington, as indicated by an official announcement made on Sunday.

Heading the delegation is Vivek Bharadwaj, Secretary of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR), accompanied by Alok Prem Nagar, Joint Secretary of MoPR, and Shailesh Kumar Sinha, Additional Surveyor General of the Survey of India. They will present the flagship SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) Scheme in two significant sessions at this international forum focusing on land governance.

The theme for this year's World Bank Land Conference is "Securing Land Tenure and Access for Climate Action: Moving from Awareness to Action," and it aims to unite global leaders, policymakers, experts, and development partners to discuss strategies for securing land tenure, modernizing land administration, and promoting climate-responsive governance, as stated in the announcement.

India’s SVAMITVA Scheme aims to provide legal ownership of rural properties through the use of drones and geospatial technology, having already delivered property cards to over 24.4 million households across 1.6 lakh villages, mapping over 100 million property parcels and unlocking an estimated $1.162 trillion (approximately Rs 100 crore) in land value.

India's role at the World Bank Land Conference 2025 will be significant, with the SVAMITVA Scheme highlighted as a transformative model for rural empowerment utilizing drone mapping, precise geospatial data, and platforms such as Gram Manchitra for climate-smart planning. The scheme has practical applications in tax administration, infrastructure, and disaster preparedness, exemplifying inclusive, technology-driven governance. India’s leadership in digital land reforms and its commitment to South-South collaboration will be pivotal in the global discourse on scalable and people-centric land solutions.

The agenda for the conference includes high-level plenary sessions, regional workshops, thematic exchanges, and an innovation expo, all aimed at enhancing secure land access, modernizing land administration systems, and fostering climate-responsive governance. Sessions will showcase best practices, operational strategies, and innovative research to amplify reforms in land tenure, encourage the use of geospatial technologies, and build resilience against climate challenges.

The Secretary of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj will represent India as a Country Champion in the Plenary Session on "Good Practices and Challenges in Land Tenure and Governance Reform," where the impact of the SVAMITVA Scheme on rural property rights, women’s empowerment, and dispute resolution will be discussed, contributing to global conversations on SDG Target.

Joint Secretary Nagar will lead a Technical Session on "Establishing the Land Foundation for Climate Action and Disaster Risk Management," showcasing India's Gram Manchitra platform, which leverages SVAMITVA’s high-resolution spatial data to facilitate village-level planning, solar energy site selection, disaster response, and rural development.